DOWNFALL OF SMITH

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30951, 6 January 1966, Page 9

DOWNFALL OF SMITH

Whitehall Timetable

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LONDON, Jan. 5. The British Government is now confident they can destroy Mr lan Smith’s illegal Rhodesian Government before the end of March, the diplomatic reporter of the “Sun” said today.

He understood, he said, that Mr Wilson was prepared to put forward this target date in a speech to the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ in Lagos, Nigeria, next week. Whitehall experts had worked out a detailed timetable for Mr Smith’s downfall, the newspaper said. By next month, they believed, the curbs on Rhodesian currency would have brought the country’s economy to a chaotic condition.

And by March the oil sanctions should have produced such a serious petrol shortage that the country’s essential services—including security—would be almost at a standstill.

At the same time President Kaunda of Zambia would deliver what experts believed would be the final blow to Mr Smith—a complete ban on all imports into Zambia from Rhodesia.

Tonight it seemed likely that 11 heads of Government, including Mr Wilson, would attend the Lagos meeting and that nine or 10 countries would send senior diplomats or Ministers.

Australia was the only country virtually certain to be unrepresented. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, has said the conference was only likely to emphasise differences over Rhodesia.